Library Day in the Life Project Day 2

I’m Catherine Voutier and I am the Clinical Librarian at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. I am full time and based at the Health Sciences Library but I roam all over Melbourne Health (RMH is under the Melbourne Health umbrella) and I visit satellite locations.

My hours are flexible – I can start any time and finish any time between 6am and 6pm, but must add up to 80 by the end of the fortnight. Today I come in at 9am and I see a library staffer who has just returned from a holiday in the US though all I have time for is to say hi as she is going off somewhere. Turn on PC, and make tea. Check calendar – I have an inservice training at 1-2pm. I see that I have lots of new database search requests since last Thursday when I took some leave – so I have to order those by urgency. Phone rings – a cardiologist wants to see me for some help with a Medline search, sure – after 2.15pm? Notice I have a training appt at 8am tomorrow … and then … got someone who was to see me last Tuesday at 10am who forgot and is coming in today … this one is about systematic reviews. Got tons of emails to go through – one from another hospital about clinical governance that I’m going to have to think about. And someone from Pharm popped in to ask about training for pharm students in March – did I get his email? I haven’t got to it yet …

Decided to have lunch at 11.45am because I wanted to go over pysch databases and prepare some exercises. 3 people turned up from The Womens (The Royal Women’s Hospital is under the Melbourne Health umbrella and we provide services to them). My exercise preparation was unnecessary as they had specific questions and we went overtime a little. That’s the thing with preparation for inservice training sessions – it really is a go-do operation. And unusually for this inservice, it was in the library training room (usually I go to the particular ward training room). I saw the guy at 10 who wants my help with a search strategy for a Cochrane systematic review – I have to translate his from OVID to EBSCO and then refine from there. I will need at least 2 whole days to do this and I’m seeing him next week – ack! Before my inservice training thing, 2 people came to see me to make appts for 1-1 sessions. Now to look at this cardiologist’s search query before he comes in while I drink some tea (and email my husband). …. just got an email from him saying he is delayed (clinic has just finished) so I have a little breathing space before he comes down.

Finished with the cardiologist’s query now … and it was confirmation that not much literature is available and that he was searching correctly. Going through emails (I’m Chair of the Information Resources Group (IRG) of the HTAi and are organising the annual international workshop and people in our group are also putting together a panel session) and I have a session at the staff gym – a new member so just finding out how it all works etc.

Then that will be the end of my day! Have to come in at 8am tomorrow for a training session so aim to get here by 7ish and have breakfast here.